Immigrants entering Lithuania from Belarus can be detained for up to a year, the Lithuanian parliament decided on Thursday, raising the initial six-month detention limit.
Eighty-one members of parliament voted in favor of extending the six-month detention period. The six-month detention period was adopted in July as part of plans to detain a large number of migrants in camps near the border and prevent others from trying to cross the country. 14 deputies opposed the extension, while 15 abstained.
“We have to send a message to immigrants and to Europe,” Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite told parliament. “Immigrants have not flooded Europe and our Europe is grateful.”
About 4,300 migrants have entered Lithuania from Belarus this year, with Iraqis accounting for two-thirds of all migrants, according to the Lithuanian Interior Ministry. More than 3,000 people are currently being held in refugee camps, according to the ministry.
Since the beginning of August, Lithuania has pushed more than 7,000 people across the border, who pass along sparsely populated forests and swamps. The number of migrants trying to cross Belarus has dropped in recent weeks, but Lithuania said it could soon face a new wave.
Last month, thousands of migrants were stranded on the European Union’s eastern border. The EU has accused Minsk of manipulating the situation by transporting migrants to Belarus, whom it then pushed to cross the border. Belarus denies the allegations.
Source: AMPE
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Source From: Capital
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